Woods of Net / Tezuka Architects

During this last few months we have presented you several works by the japanese office Tezuka Architects. The houses have very strong concepts, tied to different ways of inhabiting these projects designed specifically for each client.

Now we present you Woods of Net, a permanent pavilion for japanese net artist Toshiko Horiuchi Macadam, in collaboration with structural engineers TIS & PARTNERS.

The pavilion is located at the Hakone Open-Air Museum, a unique open museum located in one of the most visited tourist spots in Japan. Woods of Net was added to the collection of art works as part of their 40th anniversary.

After the break, the architects description of the pavilion with photos by Abel Erazo.

This is a permanent pavilion for a net artist, Toshiko Horiuchi Macadam. The artist knitted the net entirely by hand, which is designed for children to crawl in, roll around, and jump on the net. It was easy for us to see the artwork being outside even when it cannot be exposed to rain or ultraviolet light. We wanted to design a space as soft as the forest where the boundary between outside and inside disappears. The space attracts people like campfire. The children play inside of the net just as fire and parents sit around and lay on the woods.

The structure is entirely composed of timbers without any metal parts. 320 cubic meter of timber members are used and there is nothing same among all the 589 members. The latest structural program was developed for the pavilion, but the joint techniques are derived from thousands years old Japanese wooden temples in Nara and Kyoto. As long as the proper maintenance is done, it is capable of existing over 300 years. This is the oldest and the latest structure in the world.

when I look at this, although it’s a wonderful composition, all I can see is all the timber that went into this structure.
the beams are massively oversized for their spans and clearly done only for the visual effect. I think that with some careful planning they could have created the same impact with a much lighter structure that didn’t waste all that wood.
that asside I must admit that the jointery is amazing.

“I think that with some careful planning they could have created the same impact with a much lighter structure that didn’t waste all that wood.”

The structure may be capable of lasting over 300 years so I don’t think the pavilion is a waste of wood.

Chas

Yar:
I understand what your saying but I still think this was very wasteful of wood. for example, each of those sqaure beams could have been cut down the middle creating a rectangular profile. the structure still could have been assembled using the same techneques and jointery. the appearance wouldn’t have changed nor would it have impacted how long the building will last. Just with that one simple change it would have used half the wood.

Bruno

Although you guys had this conversation a few years ago… I believe it’s worth mentioning that there is a very nice video about Tezuka’s work. This very interesting guy is a true poet… the lecture he gives is really inspiring. Once we listen his version of this proposal, one might draw different conclusions than the expressed above. I really encourage taking the time. Regards!